By now you will know that I am passionate about the joys and benefits of children reading. Every Day, Every Where, Every Thing.

Christmas is the perfect opportunity to stock up on books for the year ahead. For me growing up Christmas holiday’s meant uninterrupted reading time! EVERY Christmas I asked for books and then later on Magazines. The Baby Sitters Club (or anything by Ann M Martin) Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton and then later the Bronte Sisters. Oh how I hope my children love books as much as I do!!!

I must admit, in this technological age, finding books that children love, and getting them to read them is getting harder. I strongly believe it doesn’t matter what they are reading as long as they are reading!!!! Especially for boys, find a topic that interests them and find any book you can on the topic and suddenly you will find them immersed in books!

So here are some of my favourite for that tricky 7 – 12 Year old group we suddenly find ourselves entering!

1. Dork Diaries. This is currently an International Bestseller. A series of chapter books that is so relatable it’s got that tween market captured. They are a classic coming of age series dealing with not fitting in, feeling like a dork, heartbreak and embarrassing moments. This is like a “girlier” version of Diary of A Wimpy Kid. These are flying off the shelves and I would personally invest in a book set. I would have loved this series as a child!

2. Hey Jack. This is where Master O is at. Perfect for early readers the contexts are age appropriate and appealing to 6-9 year olds and the large print and simple vocabulary make them a great series of first chapter books. Jack is a character from the hugely popular Billie B Brown series. He has made the transition over to a more boyish series and the stories are full of grossness, pranks and friendship dilemmas We went with the box set as part of our “Something to read” Christmas gift giving.

3. Skylanders. Remember what I said about finding an interest? Master O Loves Skylanders as do most children in the 7-12 age bracket. There are numerous books that give great insight into the lands, characters and strategies of Skylanders. These books contain great facts about each character and my two love to look at the pictures and have Master O read out all the information.

4. Boy Vs Beast. These are a step up in difficulty and context from Hey Jack. The monster/alien/robot/beast theme is extremely appealing to the 7-9 year olds. These books are a hit in the Grade 1/2/3 classroom and have a line up at the library. The story lines are surreal and supernatural but have kids, especially boys hooked on this popular series.

5. The Magic Faraway Tree or anything by Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. These are the children’s classics. The characters and story lines are as appealing now as they were 30 years ago. These make for great bedtime read aloud stories or perfect to set the imagination running wild of more independent readers. Do not rely on the movies to tell these stories. They really are at their best when read!

6. The Baby Sitters Club. Well just BECAUSE!!! Oh how I loved this series! I was slightly obsessed and even had a small collection of related paraphernalia Not sure that many 11 year olds actually baby sit in this age but the friendships and new story lines in each book have you dying for the next one! I still have a few oldies in my collection but will definitely be buying THE WHOLE SERIES for Little Miss A.

So they are my hot book tips for this Christmas.

Books immerse your child in another world, introduce new vocabulary and concept, strengthen reading skills and strategies and give them some valuable SCREEN FREE TIME!!!

A perfect gift for your child at any time of year.

This post was sponsored by Dymocks. I was paid to give my opinion as a Mum and Teacher on some of the best book buys this Christmas! All books mentioned above are currently available at Dymocks.

Hi and Welcome!

Welcome to the nest! Wife of one, Mum to 3, Teacher of a flock. Happy is..... a perfectly labelled storage solution, time with a coffee and my planner, creating memories with my family, navigating motherhood with style, making our house into a beautiful home and teaching children through play.